NAIROBI Kenya, Nov 21- President Ruto has urged the society to change the upbringing of the boy child, to responsible and moral upright men efforts to combat femicide and Gender Based Violence cases in the country.
President Ruto called on politicians, public officers, religious leaders, traditional institutions and family members to change the upbringing of the boy child to ensure they will never need to affirm their masculinity at the expense of women but instead contribute to making our society just, safe, equal and inclusive.
“I am aware that most of the cases of murder of women by men have been investigated and prosecuted, and it is my hope that, in due course, those found culpable will face the full force of the law,” he said.
He said the rising cases of femicide and GBV will cause the women to feel increasingly unsafe, even in their own homes.
He added that it also complicates, in disturbing ways, the struggle by Kenyan women for inclusion, equality, dignity, social justice, human rights, equity and protection as a historically marginalized segment of our society.
“I have held discussions with other leaders in government and tasked the Deputy President to reach out and facilitate collaborative, broad- based and multi-sectoral deliberations and recommend effective and radically affirmative actions within 6 months,” Ruto said.
This comes against the backdrop of alarming statistics: Kenya has reported 97 cases of femicide since August, signaling a sharp rise in GBV incidents.
President William Ruto on Wednesday, announced a Sh100 million allocation to support a 16-day campaign against femicide spearheaded by women leaders.
Ruto committed the funding even as he vowed decisive action to address the growing threat of gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide in the country.
Ruto emphasized the urgent need to protect the lives and dignity of women, describing the rising cases of femicide as a tragic crisis requiring immediate intervention.
“Through the Women’s Rights Advisor, we have launched the Safe Home, Safe Space campaign as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, set to commence on November 25,” the President announced.
President Ruto also raised concerns on the exploitation of social media as a platform to lure women. He highlighted the need to regulate such spaces to protect women from online predators.
Expressing his condolences to families who have lost loved ones to femicide, Ruto called for a united approach to tackle the crisis.
Source: capitalfm
